Support nonprofit journalism.
Astronaut Donald Slayton (left) embraces cosmonaut Aleksey Leonov (right) during the first international human spaceflight in 1975. That mission galvanized decades of scientific collaboration that continues today aboard the International Space Station.
NASA
By
A busy week for science in Moscow — Science News, June 3, 1972
U.S. and Soviet leaders … signed agreements on space, science and technology, health and the environment…. The space agreement … outlines plans for cooperation in fields such as meteorology, study of the natural environment, planetary exploration and space biology.
The 1972 space agreement led to the first international human spaceflight, the Apollo-Soyuz mission, during which Soviet and U.S. crews socialized in space (SN: 7/26/75, p. 52). Apollo-Soyuz encouraged decades of collaboration that continues today on the International Space Station. Now, Russia’s war in Ukraine has prompted many countries to pull back on scientific endeavors with Russia, in space and on Earth (SN: 3/26/22, p. 6). While NASA remains committed to the space station, the head of Russia’s space agency has threatened to end the cooperation in retaliation for sanctions imposed in response to the war. Russia has yet to make moves to abandon the station, though the country has ceased supplying rocket engines to the United States.
Questions or comments on this article? E-mail us at [email protected]
A version of this article appears in the June 4, 2022 issue of Science News.
Physics writer Emily Conover has a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Chicago. She is a two-time winner of the D.C. Science Writers’ Association Newsbrief award.
Our mission is to provide accurate, engaging news of science to the public. That mission has never been more important than it is today.
As a nonprofit news organization, we cannot do it without you.
Your support enables us to keep our content free and accessible to the next generation of scientists and engineers. Invest in quality science journalism by donating today.
Science News was founded in 1921 as an independent, nonprofit source of accurate information on the latest news of science, medicine and technology. Today, our mission remains the same: to empower people to evaluate the news and the world around them. It is published by the Society for Science, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education (EIN 53-0196483).
© Society for Science & the Public 2000–2022. All rights reserved.
Subscribers, enter your e-mail address for full access to the Science News archives and digital editions.
Not a subscriber?
Become one now.
Here’s why you should subscribe anyway.
To celebrate our centennial, we have made our entire archive available for free. But quality journalism comes at a price. Support the next century of science journalism. Subscribe to Science News for as little as $2.99 a month.
